An Intricate Pentacle
by AlbinoLungs
Summary: Heather, Gwen, and Bridgette are all Wiccan's studying in the same coven... and that's it for now. Concept is still under construction. Pairings: DxG, AxH, GxB
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about being a Wiccan. I just got inspired to write this story because Im studying 'The Crucible' in school. All of the information I have in my story is from other sources. If you are a Wiccan, I hope you don't get offended if I write something that is actually inaccurate. Please correct me if you see a mistake. If you are Wiccan and reading this, contact me! I'd love to ask you a few questions that could help my story. To everyone else, ask me if there is something that you are unsure about and doesn't make sense to you. I'll try to describe everything as best I can, but feel free to message me if you have any questions. **

**Other then that, enjoy!**

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><p>Gwen ran through the forest, clutching her thick jacket tightly around her body and black purse in hand. It was early January, so the thick blanket of white snow was expected. However, the bitter cold displeased Gwen as she trudged on through the woods. "<em>Canadian winters<em>," she thought to herself angrily as she stumbled over a small rock hidden in the snow. After a few minuets of walking aimlessly through the forest, Gwen opened her cell phone. The bright artificial light of the phone hurt Gwen's eyes. It was nearly midnight, and Gwen's eyes had already adjusted to the pitch-black sky (the full moon was her guide). "Meet us in the usual spot," read Gwen aloud. "Why can't I find the usually spot!" she yelled angrily at the trees.

"Chill out. We found you," Gwen snapped her head around. Lucky for her, she had found the very two people she was looking for. "Bout time you showed up," snapped Heather. "What too you so long?" she questioned.

Gwen's eyes fell to the ground with shame. "I got lost-"

"You've been here a hundred times, and you got lost?" challenged Heather.

Gwen frowned at her "I'm surprised _you_ even showed up!" retaliated Gwen.

"Guys! Please!" said Bridgette, stepping between the two enemies. "Tonight is really important. Can't we just get along?" she begged. While the two girls didn't stop glaring at each other, they nodded their heads slowly. Bridgette smiled and singled for them to follow her.

Gwen, Heather, and Bridgette were far from friends. They each attended a different school, had completely different interests, and rarely talked to each other, let alone hangout together. However, there was one thing that bonded them together since birth – witchcraft.

No, they weren't broomstick flying, spell casting witches, they were simply Wiccans. A religion that their mothers before them had practiced together. Their mothers were best friends in high school and had formed their own coven when they were younger. When their daughters were born, they taught them the ways of Wiccan, yet never enforced their beliefs on their children (as it is not the Wiccan way). The daughters, however, took a liking to the study of Wiccan, and individually chose to choose the path of Wiccan for themselves.

Bridgette lead the two girls to a clearing in the middle of the forest. This is where their mothers before them came to meet and hold their sacred ceremonies. Each of the girls could vividly remember watching their mothers perform the rituals as they sat off to the side. Bridgette and Gwen were sweet to each as young children, Heather was just a little brat they learned to deal with.

As time passed however, the mothers became engulfed by their jobs, families, and society stresses. They decided it would be better (and more time efficient) to practice on their own. Thus, the coven was disassembled. But as their daughters only became more fascinated with the religion, they figured it was now time to inducted themselves into the religion. While each girl possessed a disliking for the other (both Gwen and Bridgette hated Heather and vice-versa). Each of them felt it would be helpful to start a coven together. After all, they were pretty new to this study, and felt it would be easier to learn in a group. And since there were no other wiccans in their town, and their mothers were busy with their own lives, they had to settle for each other.

"So, I think I have everything," said Bridgette "Blessing oil, salt, candles – did you guys bring your _Book of Shadows_?" she asked the two girls. Heather and Gwen nodded as the pulled out a small pocket book from their purses. "Prefect!" exclaimed Bridgette. "Now, all we need is a name for our coven,"

"I was thinking 'The Nightingale Clan'," suggested Gwen "I was reading up on them, and they seem very prudent to witches,"

"What are we, five?" mocked Heather "Every coven under the sun has the word 'Nightingale' in their name,"

"Well if you're so smart, why don't you come up with a name?" tested Gwen.

Heather furrowed her eyebrows as she thought hard about the questions. "How about 'The Triad Crone Clan'? You know, to commemorate the Goddess?" proposed Heather. Bridgette and Gwen exchanged shrugs.

"Actually, that's not that bad," mocked Gwen with a wicked smile.

"Of course it isn't," taunted Heather back. "And since _I_ came up with that name, _I_ should be named leader of our clan," stated Heather as she placed her hand firmly on her hips.

"Umm … I guess so-" stuttered Bridgette.

"I think Bridgette should be leader," chirped in Gwen.

Bridgette stared at her with wide, unbelieving eyes. "M-me?"

"Sure! You'd be prefect for it!" exclaimed Gwen. Bridgette beamed at her.

Heather, however, eyed Gwen angrily "Excuse me, but I think I put my name in first,"

"Oh, C'mon Heather. She's the only one who can keep peace between us. Plus, her mother was the leader of our mother's coven. It only fits!"

Heather let out a loud sigh. "Fine! Whatever!"

Gwen turned to Bridgette and gave her a soft simile. "What's your first decree?" winked Gwen to Bridgette.

Bridgette rubbed the back of her neck. She didn't really like controlling others, nor being the center of attention. "How about we all set some ground rules. Just to keep things organized," she said meekly. Gwen nodded in a agreement and Heather rolled her eyes. "Great! Well, I think all holiday ceremonies should be – " Bridgette paused. She didn't want to sound bossy, however, if they were going to be full witches, they had to practice every chance they got. " – mandatory?" she suggested meekly.

"Sounds reasonable," nodded Gwen.

"Reasonable? There's like a thousand different Wiccan holidays! We can't meet for everyone!" cried Heather, feeling her social life slipping from her fingers.

"There's only a few holidays," said Bridgette, looking down to her feet.

"Not to mention every Esbat _and_ Drawing Down the Moon," added Gwen. "Don't forget, we might learn about different rituals and ceremonies along the way,"

"Argh! Seriously, you guys?" complained Heather as she firmly crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Look, do you want to be apart of this or not?" threatened Gwen. Heather frowned at her, but then looked away, admitting defeat. "Good. Then shut up!"

"We'll excuse family emergencies," noted Bridgette "But I think it's important that we practice as much as we can," Heather rolled her eyes again. She was already doubting her decision. "As for other rules, I think it just might be convenient to always meet here," continued Bridgette.

"At least no one will see me out here," muttered Heather.

Bridgette ignored her comment, and kept talking "And we probably shouldn't wear animal skin to these things either. So no leather, no fur,"

"That's not even a rule our mom's followed," whined Heather, not quite wanting to take off her new faux fur coat.

"Well, yeah, but we're respecting nature here," commented Bridgette. Heather sighed and angrily agreed.

"And finally, let's promise that we'll at least respect each other. We don't have to like each other, just respect at least," pleaded Bridgette. Heather and Gwen looked at each other and nodded slowly. They only had to see the other a few times a year anyway.

"Okay. Well then, let's get started," said Bridgette.

The girls got to work right as they began to set up for their induction ceremony. Secretly, they were all extremely excited. They had been looking forward to this ceremony ever since they were little. Now, it was finally happening.

They each started with a short meditation session. Each sat crossed legged on the cold snows for two minutes. A white candle was lit in front of them. The only sound was the sound of nature, totally peaceful. When the two minuets were up, Bridgette stood. Tossing some salt onto the ground, she stepped on it. Taking the Blessing oil, she gently rubbed it onto her face and spoke a simple prayer;

"_I am a child of the gods, and I ask them to bless __me. May my mind be blessed, so that I can accept the wisdom of the __gods. May my eyes be blessed, so I can see my way clearly upon this __path. May my nose be blessed, so I can breathe in the essence of all that is __Divine. May my lips be blessed, so I may always speak with honor and respect. May my heart be blessed, so I may love and be __loved. May my hands be blessed, so that I may use them to heal and help __others. May my womb be blessed, so that I may honor the creation of __life. May my feet be blessed, so that I may walk side by side with the Divine. Tonight, I pledge my dedication to the God and Goddess. I will walk with them beside me, and ask them to guide me on this journey. I pledge to honor them, and ask that they allow me to grow closer to them. As I will, so it shall be."_

When Bridgette was done, Gwen stood up and repeated the action done by Bridgette. Heather did the same. When they were all annotated with the oil, Bridgette spoke again.

"_God and Goddess; May you bless our journey and our sacred sisterhood. May good fortune seek out coven and guide us during our walk of life. Tonight we become one, under you," _

They stood in silence for a while. After a few moments, they looked up and smiled at the other.

They were now witches.

They exchange a few giggles, then decided it was time to head home. "Don't forget to write this in your Book of Shadows!" called Bridgette as she sculled off into the woods. "And remember to bless your Alter!"

Heather rolled her eyes, quickly returning to her old attitude. "Obviously I was going to bless my Alter. I'm not a kid, she doesn't have to remind me about everything!" she complained. Gwen didn't listen to her, she was to busy absorbing the moment.

It was indeed a big night for the girls. However, this night would change their lives forever, more then they could ever understand, and they didn't even know it.

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><p><strong>For the next few chapters, I'm going to be looking at the girls individually in their owns lives. Kind of explain their take on the situation, their daily events, etc,. Past that, I'm not quite sure where this story is going, so hang in there! I'll try to work on my concept as much as I can.<strong>

***Criticism is welcomed**


	2. Chapter 2

**Right. So I started to get a sense of where I want this story to go. Just thought I'd share so you don't loose all faith in me.**

**In other news, I'm hosting a small contest for my other story, **Yuxtapuestos. If you're interested, check it out!****

**Enjoy this next bit! *Criticism is welcomed **

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><p>When Heather woke-up the next morning, she didn't feel different at all. She felt a little greasy from the oil, but not different. She had secretly hoped that when she did in fact wake-up, she would feel – something. Heather frowned. Her mother had almost assured her that the induction ceremony would make her feel totally different from that moment on. But as Heather lay in her bed, she only felt stupid. Growling slightly, she marched out of bed and into the shower. She used the soap like a cheese grater on her face, trying to scrub off the gross oil that was on her face from the night before. After a half-hour or so, she stepped out of the shower onto the cold bathroom tiles. The room was filled with steam at this point, but that's how she liked it. It was a warm cocoon that embraced her every morning. Taking another 40 minutes or so to fix her hair and make-up, she threw on her uniform (consisting of a whit dress shirt, black and red kilt, black knee socks, and black dress shoes) and raced downstairs.<p>

Heather was a rather privileged child. Both of her parents were lawyers and filthy rich. They, however, were divorced, and Heather lived with her mother. It never really bothered Heather. What did bother her was her father's girlfriend who was only ten years older then she was. Not to mention a totally bitch. So, Heather chose to live with her mother. This was actually quite a surprise since the two of them were completely opposite. Heather was manipulative, mean, and pessimistic (Heather would never be able to see it, but she and her fathers girlfriend were exactly the same). But her mother was sweet, caring, and calm. Even from a young age Heather could see that her parents would one day get a divorce. Her father was a cunning workaholic whom Heather knew (and used to her advantage) had affairs left, right, and center with tons of different women. Heather's mother never got angry with him though, she just calmly divorced him and moved on.

When Heather reached the kitchen, she found her mother already there. She sat perfectly still, sipping away at her coffee. When Heather walk in, she flashed her a big smile. "Good morning, dear,"

"Hi," mumbled Heather as she grabbed an apple off the counter.

Heather's mom checked her phone. "How did it go last night?" she called to Heather.

"Fine," responded Heather, taking a small bite from the apple.

Heather's mother looked up from her phone and analyzed her daughter's appearance. "I really wish you wouldn't wear your kilt that short, dear,"

Heather rolled her eyes. "Everyone wears it like this, mom," she spat.

Her mother shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said, her eyes returning to her phone.

Heather squinted her eyes at her mother. She hated how her mother would just give up on an argument like that. She was a lawyer for Christ sake! Her father would never have done that. He would have argued with her. Heather learned most of her tricks from her father. In a way, she'd rather live with him, but she hated her father's mistresses, and needed her mother to help her with this Wiccan stuff. Heather's father didn't really care about her anyways, but he did send an extravagant gift every month to keep Heather on his side. Most times, it worked.

"Well, I'm off. Bye, mom," said Heather quickly as she grabbed her bag and made a dash for the door.

"Did you bless your altar this morning?" asked her mother.

Heather froze. She hadn't. "Yes," she lied.

"Alright," said her mother, "Have a good day-"

"Fine. Fine. I'll go do it,"

Heather's altar probably couldn't even count as an altar. It was an old shoebox underneath a pile of cloths she never wore at the bottom of her closet. She did this purposely. God forbid anyone find out about her belief. Half the school would be on her case. Inside the shoebox were two small candles, two pictures printed off the internet of the god and goddess (both completely wrinkled), a cracked plastic cup, used incense, her wand (something she found at a thrift store), a knife from the kitchen, a broken bell, and a small plastic bag of salt. She frowned at the items. "Consider yourself blessed," she muttered harshly. Without a second glance, Heather was in her car and on her way to school.

Heather attended St. Mary and Nicholas Catholic Private High School. Since her father was catholic, he felt she should be exposed to both religions. Heather didn't really respect either, but responded to the teachings of Wicca a little better. Although it was a Catholic school, all of the girls that attended it were little stereotypes. Short skirts and mini-purses, all paid with daddy's money. Heather was no exception. In fact, she was the most popular girl in school. Every girl wanted to be her, and every guy wanted to be _with_ her (some of the younger teachers too even (?)). That's why nobody could know her religious secret. They'd rip her a part with judgment and mockery.

When Heather stepped out of the car, her two 'friends' swarmed her. Neither of them were really her friend; they just knew that by hanging out with her, they were cool.

"Hi Heather!" squealed the girl, Lindsey. "Did you have a good morning?"

Heather made a disgusted face at Lindsey. Almost telling her she should know better. Lindsey's face fell and Heather smiled. It was the only way to ensure power at this school.

"Heard daddy sent you a new car last month," commented the boy, Justin. Justin also used his good looks to his advantage; he was just a little slow at times.

"It's about time to. The last one he sent me was so crappy,"

"Vote for Courtney!" Heather's route to her class was cut off as a big red button with the words 'Vote 4 Courtney' was shoved in her face.

Heather looked up. Standing in front of her was in fact Courtney. The goody two shoes of the school that got on everyone's nerves.

"What is this?" questioned Heather.

"It's school election time!" said Courtney. "I'm running for class president," she added proudly.

Heather raised an eyebrow. "And I care because?" Justin snickered at her joke.

"I would like you're vote," said Courtney as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Why would I vote for you, when I can easily vote for nobody,"

Courtney frowned, but then stuck her nose up in the air. "I don't need your vote anyway. Tons of kids here would _love_ to have my as class president," she said as she marched off.

"It's not even nine in the morning and you're already pissing people off,"

Heather turned around and saw two boys behind her. One was Noah and the other was Cody. Noah was the only kid in school who had half a mind to tell off Heather. Because of that, he didn't have a lot of close friends – only Cody who Noah didn't even like. But Noah wasn't about to pass up on friends.

"Well look who it is," chimed up Justin, coming to Heather's defense. "The Queer kids!" he announced. Noah and Cody were usually referred to as 'gay'. They weren't, but people often made fun of them like this. Most of the guys at least. Noah frowned at them.

"We're not gay," said Cody harshly.

"Right – you've got that psycho freak following you around," laughed Heather.

Cody began to blush. Every since he started attending this school, a girl named Sierra consistently stalked him. She meant well, she was just over obsessive. "She's not a freak," mumbled Cody, not quite believing in what he said.

"Just stop being such a brat, or else" threatened Noah as he and Cody began to leave.

"I'm so scared," mocked Heather with a sarcastic tone. Justin laughed along with her. Lindsey on the other hand began to whimper.

"You didn't have to be so mean," she murmured. Heather gave her a disapproving look and Lindsey looked away. She knew better then to cross Heather, but she was too nice to _not_ letting anything slip.

As the day went on, Heather collected homework from many of the schools nerds who she persuaded to do her homework for her. So, as she walked into biology, a piece of paper was automatically placed on her desk. "Here's your lab report," said Beth, one of the geeks who did her work. Heather looked over the slip of paper, and gestured for Beth to leave. It was just one of the many natural occurrences that happened throughout the day.

"Very nice," Heather tilted her head to the side. Sitting next to her was a boy she had never seen before. He had tan skin and dark eyes. His body was quite built and his voice was soothing. "Getting your homework done by some low life, then treating her like the dirt on your shoe. It's like seeing myself in Asian skin,"

Something about the way he said it, prevented Heather from taking any offense. However, she frowned. "I'm not anything like you," she spat.

"Here's your lab. And I added extra problems on the back of the page so you can get extra credit," said Beth as she placed a slip of paper on the boys desk.

"Ah, Muchas gracias, Beth," said the boy as he looked over the paper. Beth blushed and slowly made her way to the back of the room. Heather was shocked. Beth had never done extra credit work for her.

"How did you get her to do that?" asked Heather.

Alejandro shrugged "You use intimidation, I use this," he then showed her a beautiful, yet suggestive smile. No wonder he got everything done for him. "Name's Alejandro," he added extending his hand.

Heather looked at his hand strangely. "What is this, the 50's? Who shakes hands anymore?" she judged.

"Normal people who want to make an introduction," said Alejandro. This guy was different then others at this school. He had a backbone.

"Heather," she said as she took his hand.

"Soft hands," he complemented.

At the end of class, Heather packed her things quickly and followed Alejandro out of the classroom. "Why haven't I seen you before?" she interrogated.

"I just moved her from Mexico," said Alejandro as they walked down the halls. "My dad got a job at a firm or something," he added. "What does your dad do?"

"Why should I tell you?" snapped Heather.

"Oh, feisty," commented Alejandro. "Don't see that in a lot of girls,"

"Yeah, well, I'm not like a lot of girls," spat Heather.

Alejandro smiled. "Are you flirting with me-?"

"NO!" yelled Heather.

"Whatever you say," he chuckled. They walked in silence for a bit before Alejandro spoke again. "So when is it appropriate to ask for your number?"

Heather was taken back a bit. She didn't quite know what to make of Alejandro. He was like her, only … well – a guy. And obviously, with 'guy' intentions in mind. But she wasn't ready to give in to him yet. She needed to learn more about him. "Never,"

"Never, ever?" he taunted.

Heather shot him a look. "Never," she clarified before taking off. Quickening her pace, she found herself speeding away from him.

"Just you wait!" he called "You'll come around! They _always_ come around_,"_

When Heather got home, she sprawled out onto her bed. Overall, it had been a pretty average day. All except for that Alejandro guy. It annoyed her thinking about him, but not quite figuring him out. Who was he? _What_ was he?

Heather glanced into the direction of her altar.

If you asked anyone close to her, they would never be able to tell you why Heather had chosen to be a Wiccan. Not even her own mother could understand. Heather always dissed the ceremonies and never took anything seriously. But Heather had her reason – she was always confused. She never showed it to anyone, but she was always in her own head; changing her mind, over thinking things. Being a witch kind of gave her that sense of clarification. She would never show it on the outside, but on the inside, she needed it. She needed to follow Wicca.

Kneeling down before her altar, she said a small prayer. "Goddess, I ask for your help. Please guide me to be more enlightened. Please teach me to read others, so I can better understand myself," She bowed her head, then went to bed. Once again, not feeling any different from when she woke up.

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><p><strong>Fun Fact: I actually don't hate Heather as a character. You might be thinking: "Well obviously, if you put her in your story!", but here me out. In the first season, she was a bitch, but she was a predictable bitch. Like, she was every other 'bitch' stereotype that I've seen in every show. And it was only the first season that she was so manipulative. By the second and third, she was just kind of rude (but once again, <strong>predictable). I'm so use to her stereotype (from watching other shows) that I never really hated her. Besides, she always got what she deserved, so yeah... that was my mini rant.<strong>**


	3. Chapter 3

**(Insert witty intro) *Criticism is welcomed**

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><p>Gwen began her day like any other day: waking up. But before she indulged in her early morning rituals, she lay in her bed for a few minutes, a small smile plastered on her face. Something inside her heart told her everything was going to be a little better now. Rolling out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom. Studying her face, she saw a little oil from last night still on her forehead. Gently, she washed it off and combed out her hair. After quickly applying some dark make-up, she strolled over to her closet.<p>

Gwen hated it, but even she considered herself to be a walking stereotype. She didn't like labeling herself, but as she looked through her wardrobe, she was every name the kids at school called her; "Goth". As she reached for her black corset, black skirt, leather trench coat, and black boots, she couldn't help but feel more 'Goth' then she already was.

She began to like this lifestyle when she was about thirteen. Her friends gave her a 'Slipnot' album, and she never looked back. Ever since then it was all black cloths and make-up to match. Now that she was considered a witch, it just added to her dark features. Ironically though, Gwen considered her Wicca-ness to be the lightest thing in her life. Praising nature, respecting all beings, these are things Gwen truly believed in and loved. Wicca was defiantly the right choice for her.

Gwen almost glided to the kitchen. She felt like she was floating. She was just so at peace with everything right now. Her mother noticed it right away, and smiled as she watched her daughter walk into the room. Her brother, however, made a face.

"What's up with you?" he asked, concerned. Gwen's brother was much like her, only without the 'Goth' label. His cloths were normal and so was his music taste. He was only a year younger then Gwen, which brought them close together.

Gwen sighed "Nothing," she said as she set up a bowl of cereal for herself.

"How did it go last night?" whispered her mother. Gwen smiled at her and nodded. Her mother's smile grew as she placed a kiss on Gwen's forehead. "Your father would be so proud of you,"

Gwen's family had been going through some tough times. Gwen's father died when she was twelve. Their mother worked as a nurse at the time, and didn't make much money, so she had to take on a few different jobs. When Gwen and her brother were old enough, they to found odd jobs around town. It wasn't until recently had the finally felt secure.

Gwen's mother checked her watch. "This bus will be here soon. You two should head out,"

"Wait! I forgot to bless my altar! I'll be right down," said Gwen as she rushed back up the stairs.

Gwen's altar was located in the corner of her room. It was a small mat with a pentacle stitched on to it. On the mat were two tall candles, two paintings she had done of the god and goddess, a small box of incense, a wand she had made herself, a dagger that used to be her mothers old one, two cups (one filled with salt and the other with water), and a small glass bell. Kneeling down, she said a small prayer. "Oh Goddess, please bless my day today. My I experience everything with an open mind and strong heart-"

"Gwen! Get your ass down here! The bus is already on our street!" called her brother.

Gwen bowed her head once more and scurried down the stairs.

Just making it onto the bus on time, Gwen automatically made her way to the back. There sat her two best friends; LeShawna and Eva.

LeShawna beamed at her friend as Gwen approached their seat. "Hey, girl," she called. Gwen smiled. LeShawna was the best friend anyone could have. She was kind, sweet, loyal, but, more importantly, head-strong. She was one of the toughest people Gwen knew. She could easily take a hit and bounce right back up.

"Hi LeShawna. Hey Eva," said Gwen as she sat next to her two friends. Eva grunted as she was too focused listening to her iPod. LeShawna defiantly had a strong personality, but Eva was strong physically. She brought fear into the hearts of every guy at their school, and terrified most people around the neighborhood. Eva wasn't really friends with either of them, but hung out with them because deep down, she needed someone to talk to.

During the bus ride, the girls laughed with each other as they discussed their personal lives. Gwen was generally very open with her friends. Yes, she did have some secrets, but there was almost nothing that LeShawana and Eva _didn't_ know. However, one of the things they didn't know about Gwen was her religion. Gwen wasn't really hiding the fact that she was a Wiccan. She would have told anybody if they asked. But they didn't, so there was nothing to tell.

Eventually, the bus pulled into the parking lot of their school; Central Street Boulevard Institution. A few things about the name of the school bothered Gwen. First, the school was located on Central Street _Avenue_. Second, the term 'Institution' always bothered Gwen. She felt it sounded like a prison. Coincidently though, that's where most of the 'bad' kids around town attended school. Gwen's school had turned into more of a 'second chance' school for kids who had visited juvie one too many times. While the school had a bad reputation, one could easily get used to it. Gwen and her friends learned how to stay out of trouble and not get noticed by the schools especially bad youths.

Gwen walked swiftly to her locker, easily knowing all of the right paths to take to avoid the tougher kids throwing the weaker kids into lockers. She actually wasn't surprised to find that a ninth grader had been shoved into her locker when she first opened it. Gwen gestured for the boy to get out. He gave her a thankful look and scurried off. Gwen and LeShawna never tormented the younger kids. Eva tried not to, but if someone got in her way – let's just say they wouldn't stay there for too much longer.

Suddenly, a loud noise from the other end of the hall silenced everybody. Gwen's head snapped around to see three guys walking in. The one at the front strutted with confidence, while the other two slammed more innocent ninth graders around. While the two at the back were just a couple of hooligans, Gwen could easily identify their leader. His bright green Mohawk always gave him away.

His name was Duncan, and _everybody_ knew that. He was probably the most dangerous kid in the province let alone the city. He had been accused of almost everything and served time in juvie more then anyone could count. To the girls at the school, however, Duncan was the taste of danger that was secretly craved. He was the bad boy that most girls would make a face at, but deep down, wanted as their own. Gwen swore that she would never be one of those girls, but was always caught staring every time he entered the school. Admittedly though, Gwen knew that her chances were low. Duncan only ever hooked up with the hottest girls in his own grade (he was twelfth grader and Gwen was in grade 11) so she knew earlier on to not even try.

She was about to return to her locker when something happened. As Duncan passed by her locker, he glanced at her and gave her a slight nod. All Gwen wanted to do was look down at the floor, but she held his gaze, hoping it would leave some imprint on his memory. When their stare finally ended, Gwen felt as though years had passed. Why was he looking at her? Was her make-up off? Was he just taunting her?

"Ooohh, girl," muttered LeShawna.

"What?" said Gwen defensively, grabbing for her chemistry textbook.

"You just got 'the nod', honey," commented LeShawna.

"It was just a nod,"

"Girl, please. I have seen many nods in my life, and that was no ordinary nod. Home boy was checking you out,"

"Yeah, sure," mocked Gwen as she walked with her friends. "Like I'd care anyways,"

"You obviously do," said Eva "You're always staring at him," she pointed out with an annoyed eye roll.

"It's hard not too. That boy is one fine piece of-" started LeShawna.

"LeShawna!" giggled Gwen.

"What? I'm only stating the facts, girl," said LeShawna, nudging her friend a bit. The girls giggled once more before going their separate ways. Gwen to chemistry, and the other two to their respective classes.

Gwen sat at her usual seat, the furthest back corner, and opened her notebook. They would soon been done first term, but all of Gwen's notes were covered in doodles. Pictures of detailed skulls and other considerably 'dark' images stained the paper where chemical equations should have been written. Gwen got all A's in her classes, but never actually seemed to pay attention. Most girls disliked her for her gift, so she only had a few good friends.

When the teacher walked in, Gwen looked to the vacant seat beside her. Gwen frowned. Her lab partner was missing. "_Great_," she thought. "_Now I'll have to do all of the work by myself_,"

"Alright guys, today we're going to be doing a titration lab," announced the teacher. The whole class moaned.

"I know, I know – you did this last year – but the curriculum wants for me to test you on this before we move on, so – "

The teacher was cut off as the classroom door flew open. Through the doorway stepped in infamous Duncan. Gwen could tell she wasn't the only kid in the room whose heart was pounding out of their chest. The only person in the class who didn't seem afraid of him was the teacher. "What do you want, Duncan?" he sighed. "You took this course last year,"

Duncan shrugged. "Some bitch at administration says I didn't complete this course, and told me to sit in today,"

"Seriously?" asked the teacher. Duncan grinned. "Alright. Class, I'm just going to head out to the main office to get things cleared up. Watch him for me,"

The class wanted to giggle, but Duncan shot them a threatening look that silenced everyone. Duncan's eyes then began to scan around the room. When they landed on Gwen, his furrowed brow intensified. Gwen, however, refused to lift her eyes from her doodles, convinced that if she did look up, she would melt in his gaze (if not freeze with fear).

When the teacher re-entered the classroom, he seemed both angered and agitated. "Right. So it's looks like Duncan _wasn't_ lying (shocker) and we'll have to put up with him for the next hour. Don't worry, he only flunked this unit (go figure) and only has to sit in today. Is anybody missing a partner?" asked the teacher. Gwen's heartbeat started up again. _She_ was missing a partner. The class made awkward glances at her, but she refused to raise her hand. All of her instincts told her not to offer her services to this boy, and her mind prayed that someone else would be missing a partner that day. Gwen bit her tongue to keep from saying anything. If they were paired together, she knew she wouldn't be able to bear it. "Gwen. I see your partner is missing. Duncan, can you work with Gwen today?"

"_Fuck_," she heard her mind say.

Duncan grinned. "Do you think she can handle me,"

Suddenly, Gwen's heart dug down deep and found the last little bit of courage she had left. "Depends," she muttered. She lifted her eyes off her paper, and started him down. "Do you think _you_ can handle _me_?"

The class ooh'ed as Duncan's grin only spread wider and wider across his face. The teacher however, simply gestured for him to join her, and returned back to the lesson. Gwen quickly looked away again as Duncan started to approach her desk. When he sat down beside her, she could already smell the residue of cigarettes and spray paint. Gwen used all of her will power to keep her eyes on the chalkboard. However, she lost the battle quickly when Duncan said; "We met this morning, didn't we?"

Gwen looked over at him, noticing quickly how his eyes shimmered so nicely in the light. "It depends on your definition of 'meeting'," she shrugged, trying to hide her obviously want for him.

Duncan eyed her. "I've seen you before though," he said, almost seeming as if he ignored her last comment competently.

"We've only been at the same school for three years," muttered Gwen. Her grip on her red pen was tighter than anything she had gripped before, the tension (that was almost unbearable to her, but he didn't even notice) was killing her.

When the teacher was done with his initial explanation, the pairs began to search the classroom for their required equipment. When Gwen had gathered all of their stuff, she decided to begin lab on her own. Knowing the kind of person Duncan was, he probably wasn't going to help anyway.

"So … how do we do this?" asked Duncan as Gwen began to filter the chemicals together.

"It's pretty simple," muttered Gwen as the rest of her attention was on the experiment. "Basically, you have to mix these together, and then write an equation about it," she said trying to simplify it as much as possible.

"Well, it sounds as though you have everything handled," said Duncan. Without another word, he placed his hands behind his head and sat back in his chair.

"Figures,"

When Gwen let that one word slip, she would have given up her soul to take that moment back. For the looked that Duncan gave her burned through her very flesh.

"You've either got bigger balls then I do, or are incredibly stupid - to say something like _that_ to _me_," said Duncan. Gwen blinked. She understood that she had just crossed one of the cities 'most wanted', and was now on thin ice if she didn't fix it quickly.

"I'll let you figure that out. Right now, I have work to do," she said, only realizing that her statement would make her situation worse.

To her surprise, however, Duncan grinned. Then began to chuckle, then full out laughing. "I like you," he admitted "What's your name again?"

Gwen hesitated. While her head was trying to analyze every angle that Duncan could possibly be working, she let herself answered him. "Gwen," she said quietly.

"Gwen," he repeated. Hearing her name flow from his lips caused her to shiver. "Why don't I see you around school?" Gwen responded with a simple shrug. "You should hang out with us. It's nice to hear a chick that actually has a brain rather then the ones who I usually have to deal with,"

"Us?"

"Yeah. Me and my crew," smiled Duncan, thinking of his friends.

"Thanks. But I don't think I'd fit in," said Gwen in a joking matter. In truth, she wished that he would just drop that idea. She knew she'd stick out like a sore thumb in that group. And who knows, maybe he was only teasing her. By now, Gwen had learned to protect herself in this school from things like that.

Duncan laughed. "Maybe not at first. But I see you having some real badass potential,"

Gwen smiled at him politely. "I'm flattered. But I'll have to decline. I've got other things on my plate then to worry about looking like a badass,"

Duncan's laughter grew, causing the whole class to glance over at the two. When Duncan noticed this, he eyed them viscously, and they quickly returned to their work. "You seem to have quite an effect on people," noticed Gwen as she jotted down notes on the lab report.

"I do what I can," he smirked. Gwen giggled some. While her heart was still beating out of her chest, she began to feel her body ease with each passing moment that she was with him. This feeling of calmness scared her, however, and she quickly returned to being on guard. Gwen didn't know him, but years of watching what he's down to others caused her to condemn him. She decided right then and there that if she would ever trust Duncan, it would have to be after a long while of watching him once more. But as for now, she was getting ahead of herself.

Gwen was able to finish the lab before class ended, and handed _their_ paper in just as the bell rang. Returning to her desk, she quickly collected her stuff. "I would thank you for helping me pass this section of the course, but I have a rep to protect," said Duncan with a wink.

"Don't worry about it. We probably won't see each other anytime soon, so…" Gwen didn't quite know how to finish her sentence. She was completely out of witty comebacks. So, she ended her statement by letting her voice trail off.

"That's a shame," sighed Duncan, picking the conversation back up. They both exited the classroom together, but separated quickly as they went to opposite ends of the hallway. Gwen sighed, almost not believing she was able to have spent a whole class sitting next to Duncan. _The _Duncan.

Right when she thought she was out of it, she heard "See you around then, pasty,"

The whole hallway seemed to freeze. Everybody was glancing over to Gwen. No one knew what to think, especially Gwen.

"Ohhh shit, girl," said LeShawna as she joined her friend. "Now did he just give you a nickname, or did her just give you a nickname?" she taunted as she nudged Gwen in the shoulder.

"He – he just gave me a nickname," smiled Gwen.

"Playah!" cheered LeShawna as she exchanged a knuckle bump with the oh-so-ever unresponsive Gwen. Gwen was too busy internally freaking out to be interacting with anyone externally. "Tell me everything!" she added as she steered Gwen off to the lunchroom.

When the day was over, Gwen and her brother caught the bus home. When they arrived at their house, Gwen rushed upstairs and began thinking about Duncan. Cuddling with her pillow, she replayed the events of that morning over and over again in her mind. Everything about her time with Duncan confused her. They way he talked, the way he looked at her… even the moments when he tried to terrify her. None of it made sense. She was almost invisible at that school, and preferred to keep it that way. Why was he noticing her now? These thoughts kept Gwen in her room all evening. It wasn't until she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore that she began to get ready for bed. Before tucking herself in, she kneeled next to her alter.

"Oh Goddess, thank you for the blessing of this day. May I experience many good fortunes tomorrow as I did today. As I pray to you tonight, I ask for your help. Please protect me from those who may be false, and please assist me to be more courageous with my feelings,"

Gwen bowed her head, the flopped onto her bed, feeling just as assured about life as she was this morning.

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><p><strong>(Insert witty ... extro?)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Bridgette didn't sleep at all that night. She was way to excited about – about life in a way. She was officially Wiccan now. Not to mention leader of their coven! When it was finally morning, she practically danced out of bed as she flung herself in the direction of her alter. Bridgette's alter was located on her desk. Actually, it completely invaded her desk. She preferred to do her homework on the floor.

Her alter was covered by a white tablecloth patterned with small gold pentacles. Perched on the table cloth were two tall candles, two sculptures of the god and goddess, a tradition incense holder, a wand and dagger she had purchased from a prestigious Wiccan store, two glass chalices (one filled with salt and the other with water), and a white glass bell with gold detailing. Lighting her incense, she began with prayer; "Oh Goddess, almighty figure who watches over me, I praise you with thanks of the leadership role you have bestowed upon me. Please guide me to lead my coven with courage and open heart. I pray for myself that I never fail you and you magnificent ways,"

After her prayer, she skipped to her washroom. When she noticed the oil residue on her forehead, she smiled. "_Maybe I don't have to wash my face today_," she thought as she gazed at her reflection. After brushing her teeth and pulling on a blue hoodie and long white shorts, she felt it was time to have some breakfast. On her journey down the stairs, she passed her mothers room. Coming from it was loud music and her mother's voice. Bridgette's mother still possessed a strong passion for the religion. Every morning Bridgette's mother would praise her alter with loud music in skyclad. This taught Bridgette to never interrupt her mother while she was praying.

Making her way downstairs, Bridgette was greeted by her father. Bridgette's family had a strange dynamic. Bridgette's parents weren't married, and never intended on being so. Both of them never really believed in marriage. They were eternally in love and didn't need a ceremony to 'finalize' it. So Bridgette was, in technical terms, a bastard. She didn't mind though. She had a father and mother who loved her. What more could she ask for?

"I heard someone became the leader of their coven last night," sang Bridgette's father as Bridgette assembled a bowl of cereal. When she joined him at the table, he reached over and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm so proud of you Bridgette,"

"Thanks Fillmore," giggled Bridgette. Bridgette referred to her parents by their first names. They had taught her from a young age to never label someone. But sometimes Bridgette thought they took it a bit too far.

A honk from outside alerted Bridgette and her father. Looking through the window, Bridgette saw her carpool waiting for her outside. "Bye Fillmore," she called to her father as she ran outside.

The second Bridgette left the door, loud cheers and applause greeted her from her carpool. "And now, finally gracing us with her presence, the one, the only, the sexy, Brrrrrrrridgette!" called Geoff from the driver's seat in his best 'announcers' voice. The other passengers cheered along as Bridgette hopped into the passengers seat.

Upon entering the car, Bridgette kissed Geoff on the cheek. The two had been dating since the first time they met. They both attended the same elementary school and first started going out when Geoff was in eight grade and Bridgette was in seventh. When Geoff left for high school Bridgette had fallen apart, and was now dreading when Geoff would have to leave for university.

In the back seat sat two of Geoff's closest friends; DJ and Owen. DJ had dark skin and was quite muscular. Owen, on the other hand, had lighter skin and was quite big from the enormous amounts of food he ate. However, the three boys had been friends for their whole lives. When Bridgette started dating Geoff, the two boys welcomed her into the group with open arms.

"Where were you last night, dudette! I tried calling your cell, but you didn't answer," said Geoff with a pout.

"Aww Geoff!" said Bridgette with a sudden swarm of guilt consuming her heart. "I'm sorry, honey. I was busy last night-"

"What were you up to?" asked DJ with genuine interest. Bridgette loosened her seat belt and turned to face the two boys in the back.

"I was having my induction ceremony. I'm a Wiccan now!" squealed Bridgette.

Bridgette was probably the most open with her religion. She didn't care how many of her friends knew, it wouldn't really matter anyway. She knew that they would still accepted her for who she was and not what she believed.

"Way to go, Bridge!" complemented Owen. However, confusion suddenly struck his face. "Ahh … what's Wiccan?" he asked scratching the top of his head.

Bridgette giggled some. "It's a religion were we celebrate mother earth and all of her creations," she explained in the simplest terms.

Owen still gave her a confused look. He didn't really seem to grasp the concept of praise anything other than food. "So … what do you do?" he asked.

Bridgette thought for a moment. "Well, we say a lot of prayers, read fortunes, make the occasional potion-"

"Potion!" gasped Owen. "What does _that _mean?"

"It's means they're witches," said DJ is his 'scary' voice. DJ wasn't quite good a scaring people, and he never wanted to make anyone scared anyway. But he had to admit, it was fun to give Owen the heebee-jeebees.

"Witches?"

"Well yeah … but the good kind of witches – we're good witches," assured Bridgette over and over again.

"Like – like Glinda?" asked Owen in a shaky voice.

Bridgette giggled at the Wizard of Oz reference. "Yes Owen, like Glinda,"

A small smile crept onto Owen's face. "Oh… okay then," he said, letting his smile grow to full potential.

"That's sounds quite exciting, girl," noted DJ

"Not only that – the other two members of my coven choose me as the leader!"

"You go girl!" said DJ as he and Bridgette exchanged a high five.

"That's my woman! Running coven's like a bad ass mo' fo'!" said Geoff loudly.

"What's a coven?" asked Owen from the back.

They reached school in little to no time. Geoff screeched his car into the school parking lot, making everyone aware of his arrival. As he sped around, looking for a parking space, his car received many waves and cheers from other students.

Lake Beach Academy was a small school, so almost all of the students knew each other. And to the cities surprise, they were all somewhat good friends if not acquaintances. Lake Beach Academy was quite a liberal school. The classes were laid back, and so were the teachers. Most of the kids that attended their were pretty chill. But perhaps that best feature of the school was the fact that it was placed next to a beach. Yes, the lake was polluted to the rim, but it was still nice to look at. If the weather permitted, most classes would take place on the beach.

When Bridgette exited the car, the first thing she heard was "WHALE HUG!" and before she knew it, a figure jumped out of nowhere and flopped onto Bridgette, sending them both straight to the ground. When Bridgette freed herself, she quickly identified her attacker as one of the craziest redheads she knew.

"Good morning, Izzy," sighed Bridgette.

The boys around her laughed and helped the two girls up. Izzy practically jumped up and giggled. "That's my name, don't wear it out … cause there was this one time that my parents did, and they referred to my as ooh-ahh for a whole week!"

Bridgette raised her eyebrow at her friend. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have believed it. But knowing Izzy, the story may have had some truth to it. "What was with the tackle?" asked Bridgette as she dusted herself off.

"It was a whale hug! But since I didn't really know how whales hugged, I decided to flop on you cause that's what they do! They flop. You know-" Izzy began to repeated the 'flopping' action, but instead, landed on the ground herself. "Whoa, weird!" she commented as Owen helped her up. "Hey! It's Owen!" she yelled as she threw herself into his arms. Owen and Izzy had been a thing for some time now. No one understood Owen's attraction to her. She was cute, but she was also – to put it lightly – crazy. Owen had always said he wanted a girl who could fart as long as him, and burp as loud as him. Izzy could do that, but the group would often fear for his life.

As the group made their way to the building, the first thing they noticed was a boy sitting on the front steps of their school. His black hair was gently shagging over his green eyes. However, it didn't seem to bother him, and he was to busy paying attention to the music that was coming out of the guitar he was playing. "Trent! My, man!" greeted Geoff. Trent looked up and smiled. When they were close enough, they exchanged a knuckle bump of a greeting. "What's up, bro?" asked Geoff.

"Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that," shrugged Trent "You?"

"Not too much, my man, not too much," Geoff looked around. "Where are your groupies?" he asked with a wink.

Trent looked to the ground and blushed. "Katie and Sadie are going to the bathroom," he replied.

Katie and Sadie were best friends. In fact, they were more then best friends. They wore the same cloths, the finished each other's sentences, they dressed the same-

"They go to the bathroom at the same time?" questioned Bridgette with a worried look on her face "How-?"

"Yeah… it's kinda weird at times," said Trent as an expression of concern spread onto his face.

"Well, have fun with the tunes , bro. See ya in class," said Geoff as he led his group of friends up the steps of the school. Trent gave him a polite wave, then returned to his music.

As the group marched into the hall, the were soon split as runner ran right between them all. He was only stopped when he accidently ran into Geoff, causing them both to fall to the floor. "Making rounds this early, eh Tyler?" commented DJ as he helped the boys up. Tyler nodded, but maintained his serious expression. "2012 Olympic Trials are only a few months away. Gotta practice every chance I get," said Tyler as he jumped from one foot to another. "Sorry about running into you, but no pain, no gain, am I right?"

Geoff started laughing and patted Tyler on the back. "You're right dude, no pain, no gain," he chuckled, obviously not taking the whole training thing seriously. Besides, Geoff was really good at forgiving and forgetting. Tyler nodded, and ran off down the halls, but not before he bumped into at least three other people.

Lucky for them, Geoff and Bridgette had ALL of their classes together. So they were able to spend as much time making out as they did learning about – whatever it was the teacher was talking about.

It was a few minutes into second period when Geoff leaned over and said; "So… this witch thing… are we still going to be able to see each other? I missed you a lot last night," he whimpered.

Bridgette smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. "I always have time for you big guy,"

Geoff smiled. "So wait, that necklace that you wore the other day – you know, the one with the star inside the circle?"

"My pentacle?"

"Yeah, that one. Is that like, I Wiccan thing?" asked Geoff.

"Sure is! Here-" Bridgette quickly whipped out a pen, and started to doodle a pentacle onto his arm. When she was finished, she kissed it and Geoff smiled at her. They were about to start making out again, when they were interrupted.

"If you were _trying _to be Wiccan, than you're doing it wrong – gosh!" said an annoying voice. Bridgette turned and saw Harold. A geeky kid that walked around school saying unnecessary information. Since he went to a school were most of the kids were nice, he was never 'punished' for it. But if he ever went to another school and acted that way, Bridgette was sure he'd get his ass handed to him. And the nerve of that guy '_trying to be wiccan?'_ who the hell did he think he was talking to.

"Oh yeah? How so?" questioned Bridgette, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

"From his prospective, you drew the pentacle upside down. So what he's actually looking at is a symbol for Satanism,"

"Satanism?" asked Geoff, glancing over to Bridgette.

"Devil worshipers," explained Bridgette with slight disgust. People often got Wicca and Satanism confused. Mostly because of old time thoughts that related witchcraft back to the devil. While she never hated a religion, she hated how people got her confused with something so – evil.

"Whoa – spooky," commented Geoff.

"Yeah… but I don't want to talk about it," said Bridgette, changing the subject.

The day ended quickly for Bridgette, and before she knew it, she was back in Geoff's car, on the way home. Out of the carpool, Bridgette was always that last to be dropped off. This was quite convenient for Geoff, because if there was a small chance that her parents weren't home, she would often invite him in.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Bridgette, giving Geoff a long kiss on the cheek.

"Hold up babe. I have something for you,"

Bridgette shot him a puzzled look as she watched her boyfriend reach into his back pocket and pull out of small box (about the size of his palm). Bridgette's face lit up immediately. "Geoff-!"

"Open it," he said excitedly.

Bridgette didn't hesitate; she carefully removed the top of the box and gasped when she saw what was inside. Inside was a small silver chain necklace. Attached to it was a big silver pentacle. Bridgette remembered seeing this necklace in a shop a while ago and pointing it out to Geoff. It was really expensive, so she left it.

"Oh My Goddess! Geoff I love it!" she Bridgette as she threw her arms around him.

"You seemed to really love it, and I thought today would be the prefect day to give it to you," he murmured into her ear. Bridgette adjusted her position in order to kiss him passionately on the lips. When they finally broke, Geoff slipped the necklace over Bridgette's head. The chain was pretty big, so the pentacle sat on her ribcage.

Bridgette glanced up at her beloved boyfriend, and trapped his lips in a long, loving kiss. To he dismay, the ring of her cell phone interrupted the two lovers. "Sorry, baby," said Bridgette. Picking up her cell, she saw a text from her father;

'Are you almost home? – Dad'

Bridgette gave her boyfriend an apologetic look. Geoff, however, smiled and gave her a slight nod. "It's okay," he said honestly "I'll see you tomorrow," They shared one last kiss before Bridgette, in deep protest, got out of his car. She watched sadly as Geoff's car drive further and further away.

That night in her room, Bridgette blessed her alter quickly. She was far too tired from doing homework all evening to bless it properly. But knew that if she didn't bless it at all, she would feel extremely guilty the next day. Laying in bed, she closed her eyes quickly, but let a smile stay on her face. She fell asleep soundly, feeling as terrific as she did this morning.

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><p><strong>Okay... so I might not up-date for a while cause I haven't really fleshed out the story yet. Stick with me! The next chapter will be up as soon as I can!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Y'all! I do apologize for the lack of updates! Thanks for sticking with it, and I hope you can all forgive me! The next chapter will be up ASAP! Enjoy this next bit! *Criticism is welcomed!**

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><p>It was Saturday night, and Heather had imagined it going a little differently. She thought she'd be out, doing something interesting, but no. Instead, she had just completed her first 'Drawing Down the Moon' ceremony with her coven, and was now sitting in Bridgette's bedroom, flipping through an old <em>Cosmopolitan <em>magazine. It was literally the only interesting read that Bridgette had in her room, and it was a lot more interesting then what Bridgette and Gwen were doing. The other two girls were sitting on the floor of the bedroom. They had spent the last half hour or so reading each other's tarot. At the moment, Bridgette was reading Gwen's tarot after Gwen had asked about what upcoming challenges she might have.

"Okay… for the first card you have-" Bridgette paused as she flipped over one of the cards. "Strength. For the second card – The Chariot. The third card is – The Hierophant. And your final card is – The High Priestess," read Bridgette.

"Awesome! … So what does that mean?" asked Gwen.

Bridgette frowned. "Umm," she quickly grabbed for her tarot book and viscously flipped threw the pages, looking for the answers. "Here it is!" she cheered when she finally found the pages. "Okay, so the 'Strength' card is facing towards you, and that means … you have self control over your feelings. Then 'The Chariot' card was also facing towards you, and that means you've … overcome problems. 'The Hierophant' was facing you as well, and that mean you're seeking … religious guidance. And finally, 'The High Priestess' was facing away from you, and the means … you're ignorant to your true feelings … maybe," explained Bridgette. "I think it means … well … you've been very strong about your father – so that could mean you've overcome your problem. And you've recently joined a coven – so that's you looking for religious wisdom. As for the other two, they both relate to emotion," Bridgette paused and gave Gwen a mischievous smile. "I hope you don't me asking, but … have you met someone?"

Even Heather glanced up from her magazine to see Gwen's reaction. In being starred down by the other girls, Gwen began to blush a bit. "Well … there is someone," admitted Gwen. Bridgette squeaked and squealed at the sound of this news. She wasn't that close with Gwen, but ever since they were little, Bridgette had always hoped that Gwen would find someone. Little known to Bridgette, Gwen had many 'relationships' but never confessed them to her … until now.

"Have you slept with him yet?" asked Heather from her magazine. Gwen gave her a judging look. "What? It's a reasonable question," she said trying to explain herself.

Gwen stared her down judgingly "I met him yesterday,"

Heather blinked "… so?"

Gwen rolled her eyes, but returned them to Bridgette. "Anyway, he's a bit of a … loose cannon so to speak,"

"A bad boy!" shrieked Bridgette with extreme glee.

"Uh… yeah,"

"Well then, that explains it! You have so much control over your emotions, and don't want to let anyone in, therefore being ignorant for your feelings!" concluded Bridgette.

"Er… yeah… whatever," stuttered Gwen. "I guess I … just can't trust him. He's so vile… yet… interesting," she tried to explain.

"So you play hard to get," interrupted Heather.

Gwen eyed her suspiciously. "What are you suggesting?"

Heather flipped the page of her magazine. "Simple. Leave him wanting more. Bad boys always want what they can't have," she clarified, sneering at the page and turning to the next.

Gwen thought it over in her head. "That's actually… not bad advice," she confessed.

Heather smiled and turned her nose up in the air. "See, I give better advice then those card - things,"

"They don't give straight-up advice, they help you answer questions in life, by assessing your past and your character traits," explained Bridgette.

Heather, however, remained skeptical. "Whatever. It obviously doesn't work," she grunted.

Gwen and Bridgette exchanged angered glances. "You know, if you don't believe in this, then you might as well just leave," challenged Gwen.

Heather gasped. "Excuse me?"

"Girls!"

Gwen and Heather snapped their head towards Bridgette. "Tomorrow is our first Esbat. That's why I invited you over for a sleep over. That, and I was hoping for us to get closer. We're a coven. We can't be so separated!" said their leader. Gwen and Heather glanced at each other, then dropped their heads in shame. Bridgette had a point, but they both found it very hard to cooperate.

"As a Wiccan, I don't have to believe in _everything_," said Heather in defense.

"Whatever. C'mon Bridgette, let's go check on the popcorn," scoffed Gwen spitefully. The two girls hastily exited the room in search for food, leaving Heather to herself. When she was alone, Heather consistently kept peeking over at the deck of tarot cards. She had convinced herself that she didn't believe in them, but she still remained curious. After a few moments of silence, she sighed.

"I must be out of my fucking mind,"

She hoped off the bed and quickly scurried towards the deck. Checking around once more for people that might be watching her, she began to shuffle the deck, split it in half, and draw four cards. She drew The Devil facing away from her, The Hermit also facing away from her, The sun facing away from her, and The Wheel of Fortune facing away from her. After drawing the cards, she flipped through the pages of the Bridgette's tarot book. The cards meant bad luck (The Wheel of Fortune), inability to let others in (The Hermit), a separation in a marriage (The Sun) or obsession with material items (The Devil). "My parents or divorced… but the rest can't be true… redraw!"

While the rules don't allow for 'redraws' Heather didn't have enough time as she suddenly heard footsteps coming towards the door. She then rapidly mixed up the cards, jumped from the floor, and flung herself to the bed. When Gwen and Bridgette walked in, giant bowl of popcorn in hand, nothing seemed out of the ordinary to them. "Miss us?" asked Gwen sarcastically. Heather just grunted in response. Gwen rolled her eyes. "Want me to read for you?" asked Gwen to Bridgette. Bridgette nodded and the two sat on the floor. Heather watched them from the bed. She still didn't believe in all of that, but she couldn't help in wondering what the hell was up with her reading. It didn't bother her now, but she knew that over time, it would eat away at her subconscious until she figured it out.

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><p><strong>Special thanks to Tigerstripes57 for explained tarot cards to me. I hope I interpreted the information right!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Yeah! New Chapter! Posted because I feel bad about leaving you guys for so long! Also, because this chapter (as well as the last one) is really short. Anyway, enjoy! *Criticism is welcomed.**

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><p>Duncan was never afraid of fire. Even when he was a child, he would run the tips of his fingers through the flames on his birthday candles. When adults instructed him to reframe from playing with matches, he sought them out and created new ways to use them. So as he stood in the middle of the woods, opening and closing his skull lighter with ease, he was not at all terrified at the possibility that the flame from the lighter could catch on to one of the surrounding trees and burn the whole forest done, killing both him and his friends. Duncan grew up in a pretty hostile environment. It wasn't just because he was from the 'bad' part of town; it was also from his parents. They were both cops and often tormented Duncan on not being a better citizen. But as a young boy living in the 'bad' part of town, Duncan taught himself to ignore them and concentrate on other things.<p>

As Duncan played with his lighter, one of his friends leaned against an adjacent tree, picking at his nails. Alejandro had just moved into town from Mexico and he and Duncan clicked right away. They met when Duncan tried to steal Alejandro's wallet, and became partners in crime ever since. They fathers had gotten to be very close as well. Since Duncan's father was a cop, he was often in an out of the court rooms were Alejandro's fathers worked. Even though these two were as thick as thieves, there was still one more member of their group.

The third and final member of this group wasn't even much of a member. This boy was named Geoff and didn't really especially like hanging with the other two. However, he was indebted to Duncan, and was guilted into doing his biding until Duncan felt the debt was 'repaid'. Geoff knew well enough Duncan would never feel 'repaid'. However, Geoff gave into guilt quite easily. What did Duncan do you might ask? Well that … is for another time.

Right now, we must focus on Geoff in another way. You see, he is late, and Duncan is getting agitated. "Where the hell is he?" asked Duncan chucking his lighter to the ground in anger.

"Relax," said Alejandro "He'll be here soon enough,"

And sure enough, appearing threw the bushes moments later was Geoff. He was painfully out of breath from running threw the woods and seemed to be shivering from the cold.

"Finally!" yelled Duncan. "Do you know how long we've been waiting?" he questioned, getting right in front of Geoff's face.

"Buzz off, man! I had stuff to do," gasped Geoff has he tried to inhale as much of the cold air as he could.

"Whatever, can we just get to it?" asked Alejandro. Duncan nodded in agreement and the two started working away on getting things 'set-up'. Alejandro pulled out some black candles while Duncan lit them and placed them on the ground of the forest.

Geoff was less enthusiastic about working. Instead, he awkwardly rubbed his neck and cleared his throat. "Hey… um… dudes?" he stuttered, trying hopelessly to get their attention. "Do we really have to do this? I mean… what's the point?"

Duncan and Alejandro glanced over to each other and scoffed. "There is no point. We're doing this for shits and tears!"

"I just don't see why we have to become Satanist,"

Yes, these three boys were on their way to becoming Satanists. Geoff didn't want to, but Alejandro and Duncan had tricked him into it.

Alejandro rolled his eyes. "We explained this to you a hundred times. It's all for fun – one giant prank. When the people of the town here that there are Satanist living in their city, their freak out. It will be hysterical!" he laughed as he and Duncan high-fived.

"Well why don't we just say we're Satanists? Do we really have to go through all of this trouble?" asked Geoff. As a part of their agreement, the boys had to part-take in a few full out rituals. They wouldn't kill anyone or anything, but Geoff was smart enough to know deep down that something bad would happen during one of these ceremonies.

"Gotta make it look believable," winked Duncan.

"It's just… my girlfriend said this is pretty dark stuff" noted Geoff

"She also pronounced my name wrong when we did it in the sack the other day. Do you see me complaining?" smirked Duncan. Alejandro laughed, but Geoff threw him a dark, menacing stare. "Oh, come your tits, bro. I was just kidding," said Duncan as he threw his arm around Geoff, which Geoff quickly and violently knocked off with his own hand. "Jeez, calm down," scoffed Duncan.

"I still don't think this is a good idea,"

"And I still think that you owe me, so…" muttered Duncan. Geoff sighed. Duncan had, and used that line over and over again to get Geoff to do something her didn't want to do. And sadly, it worked every time. "C'mon big guy. It's all in good fun. You're my friend, and I want you to do this with me,"

Geoff sighed again. "Alright, dude" Duncan grinned at Alejandro who grinned back at the two boys. Tonight was the night to begin everything.

Once the candles were lit, Duncan pulled out three scrunched up pieces of paper from his jean pocket. Handing one to each of the other boys, he then reached into his adjacent pocket, and pulled out a flick-knife. "Gentlemen," said Duncan in a booming voice. "What you see before you is a contract. We read it aloud, then sign it in blood," he said with a dark smile. "Alejandro, will you read for us?"

Alejandro nodded and began to read a prayer. All the prayer was, was saying to give yourself full to Satan and reject the work of god. For every line, Duncan would chuckled skeptically. Geoff, however, started freaking out. When the prayer was over, the two boys looked to Duncan. They knew this was the time to draw blood. Knowing this, Duncan opened his knife and looked between the others. "Alright, who's first?"

Neither of the boys, not even Alejandro, volunteered. Geoff didn't want to do any of it, and Alejandro was un-admittedly nervous about cutting himself open. When no one responded, Duncan took it upon himself to lead by example. Carefully, he pressed the metal blade against the skin on his left hand palm, and waited for the skin to break. At the first signs of blood, Duncan continued to pull on the knife, letting the blade rip threw his skin – tearing it completely opened as more and more of the red blood poured from his fresh flesh. As he cut himself, he released a loud yell of pain that rang throughout the forest, alerting everything within a hundred miles that he was in immense pain. When he was satisfied. He weekly dropped the blade to the ground, and spread the blood all around his hand. Then, he opened his piece of paper, and wrote out his name on the bottom of it. When he was done, he looked to the others and tried to fake a smile. "Your turn," he said meekly.

When it was over, the boys burned the remains of their 'contracts' and quickly bandaged up the open sores on their hands. As Geoff healed himself, he was still in denial of the whole thing. He couldn't believe that he had just 'possibly' soled his soul to the devil. "No turning back now," he sighed as Duncan and Alejandro began to leave threw the trees again.

"Oh, lighten up, amigo," said Alejandro, trying to be comforting. "Life is for living and having fun! And that's what we're doing,"

"Never knew fun could hurt this much," said Geoff darkly.

"Said the virgin," joked Duncan. Geoff sneered at him, before turning away and trying to walk back out of the forest. However, he was stopped; "Hey, Geoff!" called Duncan. Geoff sighed again and turned around. He saw Duncan who was grinning at him evilly. After a few moments, Duncan lifted up his forearm and exposed his left pinky finger and his left pointer finger (showing the 'rock-on' sign with his hand). A few more moments passed before Duncan evilly licked his lips and darkly said "Hail Satan,"

Geoff shivered at the phrase and quickly turned on his heels to make it back home. "_Hail Satan_," he thought to himself. "_What have I let myself get into now_?"

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><p><strong>Congrats to BlackFingerlessGloves to picking up on the plot point. Very clever there ;).<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**GAH! Finally got a chapter up! I'm really sorry for the delay, but, once again, still having a ton of writer's block with this story.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm going to make a promise now that I'll have a new chapter up at least every month.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>The last thing Heather could give a crap about was the lecture that the teacher was giving. Her mind was nowhere near even trying to comprehend calculus at this point. It was totally focused on <em>him<em>.

At the moment, _he_ was just standing outside of the classroom. Her class was almost over, and _he_ was probably the next class waiting to get in. But that wasn't what was bothering her. What was bothering her was that _he_ had walked into school with some gauze tapped all over _his_ hand, and flaunted _his_ injury around school like a whinny little brat – or so she thought. She hadn't talked to _him_ all day, but from what she heard from her peers, _his_ story kept changing. All day she had heard different things from different people.

"I heard that he got it from trying to tame a wild animal!" Courtney had said.

"I heard that he got it from saving a drowning baby!" Beth had said.

"I heard that he got it from attempting to kill himself!" Lindsey had said.

"I heard that he got it from cutting his hand open to get attention," Heather had growled.

No one knew the truth. And as she watched _him_ stand outside the classroom, being swarmed by another group of girls and probably telling another batch of lies, hatred began to boil inside of her like molten lava. Who did _he_ think _he _was? Walking around the school like _he_ freaking owned the place!

There were only a few more minutes of class and Heather couldn't stop staring. How dare _he_ just make stupid attempt at getting attention? She was only snapped out of her trance when _he_ noticed her glares through the window. When _he_ saw her, _he_ gave her an over confidant wink.

"Ugh!" she growled. The teacher stopped talking a raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do numbers really make you that angry, Heather?" the teacher asked. The class giggled some and Heather only rolled her eyes. "Well class is over now. Maybe when you do you homework tonight, you and numbers could try and get along," the teacher continued to joke. "Class dismissed,"

Heather was defiantly the first one out of the classroom. And when she stepped into the hall, she didn't like what she heard;

"… so there I was: the guy has his knife to my throat and I'm completely backed-up against a wall! What else could I do? I grabbed the knife with my bare hand and knocked him to the ground. As for the rest? Well, the police say I can't disclose that information," winked Alejandro. The girls around him both applauded and sighed with awe and lust. Heather, however, huffed – loudly and agitatedly. The other girls glared at her, but Alejandro just smiled – the smiled that smile that made her want to brake bones and rip metal. Everything about his cheeky little grin pissed her off. Why? Because it was so damn sexy – that's why.

Snorting at his stupid expression, Heather began to walk off. But, to her displeasure, she then heard; "Why don't you lovely ladies go to class, and I'll see you soon," And in a mere moment she was joined at the side by the guy she had just been growling at earlier.

"Impressive story," she mocked as Alejandro walked beside her. She ensured that her eyes stayed plastered on the route ahead of her, as to not give him the satisfaction. "Must at least be half as good as the real one," she commented.

Alejandro smiled. Even though she couldn't see it, she could sense it – and just by knowing that he was smiling made her skin crawl. "How do you know I'm not telling the truth?" he challenged.

"Because _you're_ the one who told the story," she retaliated.

"Ahh, chica. You see right through me," he said, mockingly grabbing at his heart. They walked for a little longer in silence before he asked; "Aren't you gunna ask?"

"About?" She knew exactly what he meant. But she still refused to give him the satisfaction. He laughed again – deeply and authentically. Heather had to admit, even his laugh was gorgeous. But she wouldn't let that faze her. She still couldn't bring herself to trust him. "How do I know you'd even tell me the truth?" she questioned.

"Because you'd be the one asking for it," he explained in almost a whisper. The whisper sent chills down her spine, but she refused to give in. Turning her face to the opposite direction, she heard him chuckle some before returning to his tale. "My mom wanted for me to help with dinner last night, so I offered to cut the bread and … well," he lifted his injured hand and waved it in her face.

"That sounds to lame for me to call bullshit on it, so it must be true," said Heather. Another laugh from the Latino. "Why would you lie in the first place?" she snapped.

Alejandro shrugged. "The truth is overrated. I like to keep things spicy – as in my nature," he winked again – causing her to sneer at his innuendo. "So, given any thought to accepting my number?" he asked.

Heather rolled her eyes at his persistency. "No," she snapped.

Alejandro frowned. "So that's a no?" he clarified.

Heather sighed. "No…" she mumbled.

"So that's a yes!" he cheered.

Heather huffed and stopped dead in her tracks. From the first day she met Alejandro, she couldn't read him. And that was the trait about him that made her angry. Whenever she was close to solving his puzzle, he would go and mess it all up by doing something unexpected. She needed to figure him out. She didn't know why, but she needed to. But that wasn't going to happen when he was always getting in her way. For her, it needed to stop. "Look. I'm not one of those girls who's about to kiss the ground you walk on, cause first of all; ew," she said, wishing she had picked a less gross way of describing things. "Second of all; I don't trust you. So why don't you waste you time with girls who give a shit?"

"I see," he muttered. "Well, in that case, if you aren't with me, than you're against me,"

Heather turned her head quickly in his direction. "Excuse me?"

"Simple; you hurt my feelings by rejecting me, and you say there's no chance for you and me. That makes us enemies. Plus; annoying you is too much fun. I just might take this up a notch," he smirked.

Heather couldn't believe what he was saying. Was he really challenging her? Wasn't he just falling at her feet moments ago? She didn't like this. She didn't like any of it. He was too complicated and untrusting for her. Nonetheless, she took it to great offense. Her competitive side took the better of her as she crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Bring it, Al! I know this school like the back of my hand. I know everything about everyone! If anything, you'll be begging you parents to pull yourself out of school in a month," Heather couldn't help but notice him wince at the name 'Al' – she felt herself already winning.

"Then it seems that the games of begun. May the best person win," he took her hand lightly and kissed the back of it. When he did, she snatched it back and marched off.

"I intend to," she called back.

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><p>It had been about a week since Gwen had spoken to Duncan – and that was when they were lab partners. Since then, their relationship had remained the same; absolutely nonexistent. No casual nods in the hallways, no short greetings, no questions about the mysterious cut on his hand that when people asked him about it he threatened to kill them, nothing. The two would act as though the other wasn't there and just keep about their business.<p>

While Gwen was admittedly disappointed, she understood that this would have probably happened either way. Duncan was a ladies man – he never spent more than a month or so with one girlfriend (and that was only if she was older than him. Young girls never stood a chance). So Gwen had basically forgotten about him. She knew her chances were slim from the start, and knew that there was never (and probably will never be) any sparks between them.

That is, until they passed each other in the hall one day;

"Gwen!"

Gwen turned her attention from her friends at the sound of her name. The hall was crowded, but she could see from a distance that it was the owner of a bright green mo-hawk that had called her name. Duncan was followed by a pack of his usual crew – a few guys who dressed (but were much scrawnier) the same as him, each with their arm around some girl they had picked out on their way down the hall. The smile on Duncan's face was quite cartoonish. She couldn't quite tell if he was being his usual self, or if he was going to mock her in the next few seconds. Still, Gwen stayed guarded – expecting the worse. "It's been so long!" he said when he finally approached her.

"Yeah, long time," said Gwen quietly with a small grin on her face.

Duncan's smile shrunk to a grin that mirrored Gwen's. Subtle, but still looking authentically happy. "Did you figure out how we did on the lab?" he asked.

Gwen shrugged. "85%," she said nonchalantly. She had been hoping for a slightly higher grade, but she just took what she got.

Duncan, though, was thrilled. His teal eyes expanded to the size of saucers at the sound of their mark. "No way! That's awesome!" he cheered. Gwen chuckled some at his reaction. She wasn't going to lie – it was cute. "We have to celebrate," he said with a cock of his eyebrow.

Gwen folded her arms over her chest and tried to act natural. However, she could feel her heart beating so fast in her cheats that she swore it would pop out her skin in a second. Was Duncan really asking for them to hang out? She didn't want to get her hopes up, but this was a moment that she fantasized about – the one that visited her in her dreams. It sounded corny to her, but it was Duncan! _The_ Duncan! Not just any girl would receive such an invite as this one. But Gwen still knew Duncan, and knew what he was all about. Raising her eyebrow as well, she decided to play along as if it was a game that he was trying to play on her. "Really?" she said as more of a statement than a questions.

His grin grew so that his teeth would show, but it still had that 'bad-boy' edge to it that Gwen tried so desperately not to be addicted to. "Yeah, why don't you and I grab something to eat after school? My treat,"

That question hit Gwen like a car that lost control – it was so unexpected, and she was sure it would leave an impression on her for the rest of the year.

Duncan had just asked her to hang out. And not in a cryptic or suggesting way, in a literal way. Duncan had just explicitly asked her – in front of all his friends – to hang out, just the two of them.

All Gwen wanted to do was satisfy her urge to scream a loud and proud "Yes!" for the whole student body to hear. She felt like one of those giggly blonde girls that she usually hated – but at the same time, she didn't care. Moments like this don't usually happen in real life, only on those TV shows that Gwen refused to watch.

But at the same time, her logic and reasoning was getting the better of her. This was, after all, Duncan. She had heard enough about him from around school – especially his 'Fuck it, then truck,' motto. And Gwen refused to be that kind of girl. She wasn't looking for anything serious from him, she just wanted some respect.

And that's when the wise words of Heather came floating back into her mind; "Play hard to get,"

"I'm busy," she said as coolly as she could.

The whole hallway seemed to stop moving. People who were already late for their next class came to a grinding halt at hearing Gwen's words. Every girl stood there – gaping at Gwen with expressions of both surprise and puzzlement.

Nobody could believe it – Gwen had rejected Duncan.

That was completely unheard of at the school. It was like if their football team actually won a game fairly – it just didn't happen.

Everyone's eyes darted from Gwen to Duncan, waiting to see his response.

At first, he didn't seem fazed by it.

Then he looked a little confused.

But it was only seconds later that his mouth split into a huge grin. "Too bad," he responded. Gwen shrugged, but didn't neglect to notice his sly expression. It was if he was suddenly really interested by her. Like _really_ interested. More than he had been before. At first, she was just a girl he wanted hang with. But now, she was a puzzle he wanted to figure out. And he liked it. It was something different at this one-track thinking school. "Maybe some other time?" he asked – his eyes still studying her own.

Gwen bit her lip. She was defiantly high off this feeling; the feeling of control over the school's ladies man. And oh how she hungered for more. "Not sure. I've got work, school, I'm just really busy at the moment,"

Duncan nodded slowly. "Alright," he responded quietly. Gwen felt like he knew what she was doing. With his scrutinizing stare and sneaky grin, it was like he approved of her antics, and also wanted to 'play the game'. Duncan shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'll see you around then," he said, turning on his heels and walking off.

Gwen didn't respond. She was too busy freaking out on this inside. Duncan, however, noticed her silence - and secretly enjoyed the way it ate him on the inside.

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><p>Lunch was quiet for Bridgett and Geoff. They simply feasted on sandwiches near the lake that was close to their school. The sunny day had put Bridgett in a fantastic mood. Her boyfriend, however, looked worried about… something.<p>

Perhaps it was the giant cut on his hand – Bridgett had noticed it that morning, but when she asked about it, he said he had fallen on it. She decided to forget about it, but Geoff usually wasn't this worried about… whatever it was.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Bridgett for the umpteenth time that day.

Geoff responded the same way he had been that whole morning. "Yeah… fine,"

Bridgett shrugged it off and continued to eat her sandwich. Geoff however, glanced down at the palm of his hand. The cut was hurting more today than the day he created it. To him, it was a bad omen.

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><p>By the end of the day, Gwen hadn't heard another thing from Duncan. They had past each other in the hall, but no signs of greetings were exchanged. They made the occasional eye contact, but Gwen would chicken out, and look away. She felt guilty about shutting him down, and too embarrassed that Heather's plan didn't work out the way she had hope. Heather had almost assured Gwen that Duncan would be eating out of her hand within two minutes of her absentmindedness. Duncan reacted differently though, and didn't bother Gwen the rest school day.<p>

She sighed as she attempted to open her locker. On top of everything else, her locker was jammed shut. Eventually, she became rather desperate, and started tugging like crazy at the door. "_Great_," she thought "_First, I blow any chance I have with Duncan, and now this_,"

With one more tug, she pulled it open. And suddenly she realized why her locker was jammed.

Inside her locker was a tiny little ninth grade boy. Shivering, and not saying a word. Gwen rolled her eyes – it was the same boy that had been there a few days ago. "Kid, you've got to learn to walk to class with a group or something," she said bluntly as she gestured for him to get out. "Safety in number, right?"

To her surprise, the kid didn't move. Instead, he continued to quiver in her locker, darting his eyes around the hallway. Gwen frowned. "It's the end of the day, kid. You can go home now. No one will put you back in here," Still nothing. He was like a deer trapped in headlights. Gwen started to become seriously concerned was he that deeply in shock? "Are you okay, kid?" she asked.

The kid gulp and looked at his feet. "Imsupposedtobeapresentforyou," he mumbled under his breath – checks turning red with humiliation.

Gwen cocked her furrowed brow. "What?"

The kid dug his hand into his pocket, and pulled out a bright red bow – the one most commonly found on wrapped presents. He then placed it on his head and handed her a slip of paper that was attached to it. On it, was a phone number.

Gwen study the slip of paper. She then frowned at the boy. "Whose is this?" she demanded to know.

"I see you found my present,"

A deep voice from behind her caused her body to jump right out of her skin. To her surprise, Duncan was standing right behind her – close enough that she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck.

She turned slowly to see his grinning fact looking back at her. The lack of space between them made her nervous, but she refused to show it. "Imprisoning a child. You really know the way to a girls heart," she said – every word was dripping with sarcasm.

Duncan smile grew. "You don't like him? He's gone," he then growled at the poor boy, who took off running down the halls at the mere sight of Duncan's 'scary face'.

"You're great with children," smirked Gwen.

Duncan shrugged. "I try,"

She chuckled some before returning her attention to her locker. "Why are you getting me 'presents' anyway?" she asked.

"I thought I'd try again,"

Gwen bit her lip to keep from smiling. Her plan was working out after all – but she needed to keep a straight face. "And why would you do that?" she asked.

Duncan inched his body closer to hers. It was intimidating for Gwen – such a big guy closing in on such a small girl "Cause I don't take 'no' for an answer," to Gwen's surprise, his voice actually got deeper.

She wanted to gulp back her nerves – she needed to show confidence. "Then it must be killing your ego to hear me say it," she said, dropping her voice to an 'almost' whisper.

Duncan smiled and backed off – causing for Gwen's body to relax. "Look, I'll make you a deal. One date; if you don't like it, I'll leave you alone forever,"

"_Simple enough_," thought Gwen "_But why not make him try harder? Damn this is addicting!"_ a coy smile spread on her face. "Tempting, but I'll do it under one condition," Duncan raised his eyebrow. "You have to tell me how you got cut,"

Duncan looked at his hand and shrugged. "Dog,"

"I see," said Gwen, a little disappointed that the response wasn't as badass as he made it out to be.

Duncan smiled and walked off. "I'll pick you up at eight on Saturday night," he called over his shoulder.

"How do you know where I live?" called Gwen after him.

Duncan's face was turned away from hers, but Gwen could clearly see the grin and the eye roll as he said "Please,"

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><p><strong>And there we go. Time for you to REVIEW!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Another chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>Alejandro drummed his fingers lightly on the desk. He was half listening to his Spanish teacher, half thinking of ways to get back at Heather.<p>

Ever since their 'challenge' it had been nothing but a prank war between the two;

Heather got Justin to take Alejandro's clothes from the gym locker room.

Alejandro tricked Beth into covering Heather's cafeteria seat with ketchup.

Heather paid most of the school to call Alejandro 'Al' for a whole day.

Alejandro got Noah to 'accidently' spill hot coffee on Heather shirt.

Heather had stuck female products all over Alejandro's locker.

Alejandro dumped glue in Heather's purse when she wasn't looking.

And Heather convinced the student advisor that Alejandro was anorexic.

He had actually just got out of his counseling meeting, and was fuming with rage – he needed to get her back.

But how? After every prank, she growled slightly and concocted a new way to get back at him. He needed to end it – with him claiming victory.

"Need some help?" asked a soft voice.

Alejandro looked up. Sitting next to him was Courtney. She was beaming at him with her winning smile. He didn't know he very well, only that she was the student president. He flirted with her once… maybe… more or less likely, but really thought nothing of her.

"Uh," he was caught a little off guard. "No. I think I understand the lesson," he smiled.

She chuckled a little – quiet enough so the teacher wouldn't hear. "I know what you're doing with Heather. And I want in,"

Alejandro widened his eyes. Sure, everyone had guessed by now that he and Heather were in the midst of a prank war – but everyone refused to get involved. "Really?" he asked, intrigued.

"She's been a pain in my side since first year. I'd like to give her a taste of her own medicine," said Courtney with a frown.

Alejandro narrowed his eyes. "How do I know that I can trust you?" he asked. He was almost 45% sure that she was actually working for Heather, but a big part of him believed her story.

"Look, if I'm lying, then I'll permit you to prank me in the worst way you can think of, deal?" she extended her hand out. Alejandro peered down at it with caution. This was defiantly a game changer. Forming an alliance with an unknown factor was always a tricky move, but for what he knew, Courtney was honest. After all, who would want to submit themselves to humiliation? Smiling, he took her hand and shook it firmly. Just in time for the bell to ring.

"So, what do you have in mind?" he asked as they packed up their stuff.

Smiling, Courtney turned on her heels and began to exited from the classroom. "You'll see tomorrow morning. Leave it to me,"

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><p>Although Heather was 10 minutes late for class the next morning, she didn't see the point in rushing. She figured she could just bat her eyelashes at the teacher, and find someway out of a detention slip.<p>

Strolling through the parking lot of the school, she had her phone pressed gently on her ear, and was deep in conversation with the last person she'd thought she'd ever talk to on the phone.

"… and, surprisingly, it actually worked. He actually asked me out!" said Gwen on the other end. She had called Heather, and had been spending most of the car ride talking about how she got a guy to ask her out – using Heather's advice.

"Did you really think my advice wouldn't work?" said Heather as she walked up the steps to the school.

"I guess I was wrong to judge. Thanks," said Gwen.

Heather with thankful that Gwen couldn't see her smiling. The two didn't want to admit it, but they actually had been becoming friends over the past few weeks. It was probably because of this whole Wiccan thing they had going.

"Whatever. I have to go," said Heather rudely – she still found it hard to be 100% nice during one conversation. Unlike how Gwen would usually react, the Goth girl simply chuckled and hung up the phone on her end.

Heather shut off her phone and placed in carefully back in her purse. Before she opened the door to her school, she smiled to herself – thinking it was going to be a good day.

Oh, but how she was so wrong.

The second she stepped into school, she froze and stared wide-eyed at the sight before her. Her worst nightmare had come to life.

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><p>Alejandro was also late to school that day, and prayed the he hadn't missed Courtney's prank. He had actually seen Heather enter the school from his car, and was now running up to the door in anticipation of the prank.<p>

He could never have predicted what he saw that day when he opened the door.

In the main hallway pictures were glued and taped all around the building of Heather. At first, Alejandro didn't know what to make of this. She wasn't doing anything frightfully embarrassing in these pictures. Then he took a closer look.

The picture was of Heather standing in a circle with two other girls in hood around a small campfire. Over the picture, in big red writing, was the word 'Witch!'

When Alejandro focused he attention back to the center of the hall, he saw Heather, stand frightfully still. He smirked to himself. He had actually bested her. He was about to claim his winnings until he saw how the other kids were reacting.

At first, they were just whispering softly to each other. Then, things started to get out of hand.

"You're a witch!" screamed a student.

"Devil worshiper!" shouted another.

"Get her out of here!" yelled another student.

Hissing and booing followed. Heather began to back away slowly, still frozen with fear. But she couldn't have moved fast enough, as pieces of crumpled paper were beginning to get thrown at her. Alejandro would never have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

The kids of this school were actually tremendously religious. They thought she was a real, biblical witch.

Heather started to run for the door, but tripped and fell into Alejandro's arms instead. "Heather, are you alright?" he asked softly.

Heather looked up at him with an expression that almost scared him. In his arms he held a Heather who's tears were ridden with a real and extreme fear for herself. "You-you-" she stammered.

"Heather, I didn't know! I didn't do this!" he pleaded. This wasn't a joke anymore, The kids in this school had practically turned into a lynch mob.

"You win! Just leave me alone!" she cried. With that, she pushed herself out of his arms and bolted from the building. When she was out, the kids burst into applause and cheered.

In the midst of the audience, Alejandro spotted Courtney giving him a huge wink.

He didn't know what disgusted him more - the sight of these kids cheering after practically attacking a student over an ancient rituals, or that fact that it was all his fault.

For the first time in his life, Alejandro felt horrible for what he had done.

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><p><strong>So this chapter took more of a dramatic turn. I know this school sounds like 'Jesus Camp' right now, but it's all for the sake of drama in a story.<strong>

**Sorry for the short length, but more will come... eventually.**

**Anyway, REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Another chapter? Could it be so? ... 'Tis! 'Tis another chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>Bridgette was a nice girl and a good person.<p>

She never criticized her friends, and refused to judge others by their appearance. Whenever someone wronged her, she accepted their apology. If they didn't apologize, she didn't hold a grudge. If ever someone had done something horrible and disturbing, Bridgette would get over it.

But when he beloved boyfriend showed up at her doorstep - seconds away from tears - confessing that he had recently become a Satanist, Bridgette felt as though he shot her in the stomach.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she stammered to say. He was still standing on her doorstep as she refused to let him in.

Geoff bit his lip "Duncan, he-... he made me do it," said Geoff, letting his eyes fall to the ground. "It was just suppose to be a joke," he added quickly.

Bridgette tried her best to keep from collapsing in tears, but one could hear her sorrow in the way she stammered to speak. "What have you done?" she asked, closing her eyes - preparing herself for the worst.

When she opened her eyes after a moment of silence, Geoff was gesturing to the gash on his hand. Brigdette felt like throwing up. Not so much at the sight of the injury, but at it's origins. It suddenly all made sense. "Oh God-" she murmured. "Geoff, how could you-?"

"Bridge, I wouldn't have done it if Duncan didn't ask! I owe him-"

"How? How do you owe him?" yelled Bridgette. "You've said that, like, forever! What did he do for you that was so important?"

Geoff opened his mouth, but shut it immediately. He couldn't say it.

Bridgette choked out a sob. "Why did you even tell me?" she whimpered. "Aren't you allowed to lie?" she spat.

Geoff bowed his head in shame. "I couldn't keep it from you. I care about you too much,"

Bridgette frowned, but her lips were still quivering - trying to hold back more sobs that wanted to be heard. "Well, Geoff. If you really cared, you wouldn't have done this,"

Geoff's head snapped up - eyes full of sadness and shock. "Bridge-"

"Just go!" she command. Then, she closed the door. Right in his face.

When his image was covered by the door, Bridgette collapsed into a pile of tears on the floor. She loved him. She loved him as much as any teenaged girl was capable of. And she knew he loved her back.

So why did he do this to her?

As said before, Bridgette was understanding of all religions and beliefs. In fact, she thrived on learning more about them to apply their good word and ideals into her own teachings. That was her way.

Satanism, however, was another story. No matter how hard she tried, she could not paint a good image of them in her head. They were (for lack of a better word on her part) evil. They killed and tortured willingly. their hopes for the future was basically the downfall of man. How could she find good in that?

So, she left them alone. She did not seek them out to judge or scold them, she just let them to what they did. The worst she had done to them was think ill of them.

That is, until. her boyfriend _became _one of them.

She spent the rest of the night crying over her alter. Barely any prayer could be heard over her sobs. She fell asleep on the alter, tears staining both her face and the cloth underneath her.

As for Geoff - after the door was slammed in his face - he hopped into his car and drove home.

When Geoff arrived at his house, he sat in his car in the garage and bathed in his guilt. He planned to spend the rest of the night, and the entirety of the next day in there. He felt to horrible to go out and face the word. What he had done to Bridgette made him feel lower than dirt, and he hated himself for it. He believed that staying in the garage would aloud for his guilt to marinate over, and punish him for what he did.

And he _was_ going to stay there, until he got a text from Duncan.

_Meet me in the woods midnight - D_

Geoff almost threw his phone out the window. He didn't want to go meet Duncan. He hated the guy - he hated him for ruining his life, and for forcing him to do his bidding.

But he stilled owed him.

Growling, Geoff drove out of his driveway and sped in the direction of the forest. Hopefully, whatever Duncan needed, he could get it over quickly, cause he was the last person Geoff wanted to see.

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><p><strong>Right. <strong>

**As mentioned before, I started this story without any guidelines, so sorry for the long waits... again. I hope you guys are still interested, and I'll try to push through my writer's block to bring you more stuff before I head to school. **

**In the meantime, REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AH! THAT TOOK FOREVER!**

**A huge thankful to the beautiful readers who stayed with me. To the readers who I lost, I am dreadfully sorry. Hopefully I will re-capture your interest with this new chapter!**

**More to come soon! (I promise this time!) **

**Anyway, ENJOY! *Criticism is welcomed!**

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><p>Geoff was just about ready to punch Duncan right in the face as his car came to a grinding halt in the woods. Pushing the gear into park, then slamming the door behind him, Geoff stormed out of his car and to the usual meeting spot.<p>

When he found them, Alejandro was grooming his hair with a small comb, and Duncan was sitting next to a small fire - carving a drawing of a skull into a rock the size of his palm.

"What did you want me here for, dude?" growled Geoff as he approached his two 'friends' (he was in no mood to really call them that now...).

Duncan grunted when he saw him "Took you long enough to get here."

Geoff clenched his jaw at Duncan's both rude and dismissive attitude. "Dude, I'm about one second away from -"

"Ah! Amigo!" said Alejandro as he slapped one hand on Geoff's shoulder "Just in time!"

Geoff rolled his shoulders to shake Alejandro's hand off. "You know I can't speak Mexican, dude! What's going on?"

Alejandro rolled his eyes at Geoff's linguistic ignorance and gestured over to where Duncan was sitting. "Ask our fearless leader."

Duncan snorted, spat into the fire, and tossed the rock over his shoulder - sending it whizzing into the darkness of the woods.

"You know the church on Williams Street?" asked Duncan, pulling a lighter from the pocket in his shorts.

Geoff gasped. "YOU'RE GOING TO BURN DOWN A CHURCH?" he yelled - secretly hoping that someone back in the town would hear him.

Duncan blinked. "What? Dude… no. That's messed," said Duncan as he exchanged looks with Alejandro. He then dug back into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes to which Geoff sighed in relief. "I just wanted to spray paint Satanic symbols on the walls."

Geoff was relieved that the crime wasn't as intense as he thought, but he was still concerned. "Why?"

Duncan ignited a cigarette and popped it between his teeth. Putting his lighter and pack of cigarettes back into his pocket, he shrugged. "We haven't been getting any attention since our initiation. This whole prank will have gone to waste if nobody freaks out over it."

"Alright, so now that everyone is caught up, vámonos amigos!" said Alejandro as he picked a black knapsack. Geoff could hear the clanging of metal within the bag, and could only assume that was where they were keeping the spray-paint cans in there.

As Geoff watched Duncan and Alejandro walked in the direction of the town, he could see Bridgette crying behind his eyes. He could hear how heartbroken she was in her voice - a sound that he had never heard before until now. He hated himself of causing such strife in her heart, and was completely infuriated with his so called 'friends' for making him do it.

Suddenly, his debt didn't matter anymore, only Bridgette did.

"…no…"

Duncan and Alejandro stopped dead in their tracks.

Alejandro turned to look back at Geoff. His eyes were full of confusion. He then darted his eyes between Geoff and Duncan (who still hadn't turned around).

After a few moments of silence, Duncan slowly turned his head over his shoulder to look straight at Geoff. His eyes - unlike his Mexican culprit - were full of rage. Geoff felt fear for a moment, but knew that it was too late to take back what he said - not that he wanted to anyway. Wanting to look tougher. Geoff firmed his stance and crossed his arms, never once breaking his stare with Duncan.

Duncan turned his body fully and slowly started to walk in Geoff's direction. He didn't stop until their faces were inches apart. Geoff had seen Duncan threaten other people this way, and didn't see how terrifying it was until now.

After a few more moments of staring, Duncan's mouth split into a smile.

Then, he chuckled. "You're going to have to speak up, Geoff. I don't think I heard what you just said,"

Geoff gulped - but he tried to keep it silent as to not show he was starting to get scared.

"Cause I thought I just heard you say 'no'," continued Duncan "but that can't be right because you don't say 'no' to me -"

Geoff used Bridgette's crying image to summon up courage. "Well, looks like I just did."

Duncan's smile fell - and over his shoulder, Geoff could see Alejandro's eyes widen to the size of saucers.

Without warning, Duncan grabbed Geoff by the rim of his collar. "You have two seconds to take that back!" yelled Duncan. "Cause let me remind you - I took the fall for your ass!"

Geoff gulped again remembering his unspoken debt to Duncan. "I know, dude," said Geoff, trying to be the calm one. "And I'll always be grateful to you for that. But, like, what we're doing now is wrong -"

"We haven't hurt anybody - "

"I HAVE!"

Duncan raised his eyebrow at Geoff. "What are you talking about?" he asked loosening his grip.

Geoff glared at him and took the moment to have the upper hand. "Bridgette found out about the prank, and now she won't talk to me!" he confessed.

To that, Duncan snarled. He then released Geoff and pushed him back a little so Geoff would stumble. "Are you serious? This is all about some girl - ?"

"You know how much she means to me -"

"So your debt means nothing now?"

Geoff opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. Of course Bridgette meant the world to him, but what he owed Duncan was extremely significant. He was at a loss for words; He wanted - more than anything - to fix his relationship with Bridgette, but the debt was something that couldn't be overlooked.

No knowing what else to do, Geoff dropped his gaze from Duncan and stared at the ground.

Duncan snarled "Fine. Whatever. Go have fun with your bimbo. But I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into," he threatened. "C'mon Alejandro," barked Duncan as he stormed off towards the town.

Alejandro looked between the two boys one more time before scampering off behind Duncan.

When they were out of sight, Geoff sighed and rubbed his face. Being on Duncan's bad side was not a good place to be - especially knowing that kind of kid he is. Realizing there was nothing he could do about it, Geoff turned on his heels and trekked his way back to his car.

As started the car, he had one destination in mind - Bridgette's house. It was time to tell her everything, the debt, the prank all of it.

"Here's hoping that she'll want to hear it."

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><p><strong>Weelllll? How was it?<strong>

**Let me know!**


	11. Chapter 11

**... I hope by now you've forgiven me about my lack of updates... sorry again.**

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><p>One thing Gwen hated about working at a fast food joint were the horribly disgusting hours.<p>

She and her brother had to take on multiple jobs when there dad passed to help their mom. For Gwen, one of these jobs was as a chief at 'Hatchet's' - the local 24hr burger place.

Despite the cheaply made food and the just-above-the-passing-level grade awarded to them by the health department, the gig wasn't so bad. Relaxed employee's, calm customers, and above-the-minimum-wage pay made it all worth while.

What Gwen hated were the shifts.

Being a student, Gwen could only work two shifts; the evening shifts right after school, or the late night/early morning shifts.

The latter ran from 9pm-3am.

Gwen loathed this shift. The hours were dreadful, there were almost no customers, and Gwen was always tired for school the next day. The only good that came out of it was that she would never run into anyone from school. Not that anyone would pick on her, but it was always awkward making food for someone in your math class.

It was 3:30am, and Gwen was driving home. The car radio was blasting metal music and the air-conditioning was cranked to the maximum level to keep her tired eyes wide. Whenever she hit a red light, she would start screaming along to the music as to avoid dozing off at the intersection.

"Almost home," said Gwen out loud to herself (she needed to keep her mind awake). "Almost home then-"

Gwen was interrupted when something on the side of the road caught her eye. She was just about to pass a church when she noticed two figures dressed all in black. They were spray pairing satanic symbols on the walls of the church, and also taking huge gulps out of glass bottles. After squinting her eyes, Gwen could see that they were beer.

Now, at this point, Gwen was extremely over-tired. And in this state, she thought it was a perfectly responsible idea to pull over and kindly ask whoever it was to stop. Yes sir, Gwen was going to approach two drunk men in the dark with no one around to help her if she needed it - clearly, she was REALLY over-tired.

She pulled her car into the church parking lot. Even though her music was still cranked, and her headlights were beaming bright, the culprits didn't seem to notice her. Maybe they were _that_ under the influence, or maybe they just didn't care. Either way, Gwen was going to put a stop to whatever they were doing! … even if it wasn't the best idea.

"Excuse me!" called Gwen as she stepped out of her car.

They didn't turn around, but Gwen could hear them howling with laughter.

Gwen growled a little to herself, then slammed the car door shut behind her and started to storm off in the direction of the two men.

"Hey!" barked Gwen as she neared the two. "Stop, or I'll - "

"What the f-… oh shit!" stumbled one of the men. His back was still to her, but he seemed to be acknowledging that she was here. Gwen stood her ground and folded her arms. Maybe it was stupid of her, but she wasn't going to back down.

Then, one of the men turned around. When he did, his teal eyes went from 'lazy drunk' to 'extreme happiness' at the sight of her.

Gwen almost passed out when she saw who it was.

"Duncan?" she asked quietly.

"GWEN!" yelled an extremely happy, and extremely drunk Duncan.

Later, when Gwen looks back on this idea, she'll realize how stupid it was. But in that moment, seeing Duncan there instead of some no-name criminal, she felt more scared for her life than any other occasion.

Why? Because Duncan had a violent reputation. And right now, he was drunk. Anything could happen.

Duncan chucked his spray-paint bottle to the ground and started stumbling in her direction. Gwen felt herself slowly backing away from him. However, in his determination, he caught up to her and gave her a huge bear hug.

"Gwen! Gwen! Gwen!" he sang loudly into her ear. "I've missed you soooooooooo much!"

Gwen - with her arms trapped at her sides - looked over Duncan's shoulder to see that the other man had taken a seat against the church wall, and start chugging the rest of his beer. He was a latino man - probably around Duncan's age - and look quite charming. That is, if he hadn't been wasted out of his mind.

"What are you doing here, Duncan?" asked Gwen. She tried to hide the slight fear in her voice.

Duncan pulled away from her, but kept hold of her by gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "We're pulling a prank!" cheered Duncan "Me, my buddy Alejandro-" the latino cheered at the sound of his name "and Geoff! Well… my ex-friend, Geoff! He's a fucking loser!"

Gwen wanted to ask Duncan if he meant 'Geoff' as in 'Bridgette's Geoff', but there were other - more important - questions on her mind.

"You're prank is to spray-paint the church?" she asked. It was a pretty dull prank for Duncan. Whenever he would spray paint something, he signed his name so people knew who it was. Spray-painting to him was more of a hobby, not a prank. And knowing this about him, Gwen figured there was more. And all she wanted was to find out!

"No no no no no no no!" said Duncan, shaking his head dramatically "This is only a _part_ of the prank!" Gwen cocked her eyebrow, to which Duncan beamed at her and cheered; "We're Satanists!".

Gwen felt her breath become stunted in her throat. Duncan was a troubled kid, but being a Satanists was a whole other thing. Now, Gwen was even more scared than before. Duncan: drunk, violent, Satanist. Not a safe mix.

"You're… you're a what?"

"Gweny!" said Duncan, not paying attention to her inquiry. "You know, I like you… a lot! Like, A LOT a lot! Like, you're soooo hot, and sooooooooo smart!" Gwen started to notice that Duncan was pulling her closer and closer to him.

"Duncan, stop!" command Gwen.

Instead, Duncan pulled her in for another tight hug. "EEEEHHHHHHH! Always playing hard to get!" Suddenly, Duncan pushed her away again and gave her a wonky smile. "Hey! I got an idea! You should join our prank!"

The colour from Gwen's face completely drained. "Duncan. No!"

"It'll be fine, you just need to cut your hand open like me, and -"

"DUNCAN! I SAID NO!" she yelled as she pushed him away.

Duncan stumbled backwards a bit, but was able to catch himself before he fell down. When he caught his footing, he gave Gwen a puzzled look. He seemed confused at her response, and didn't understand why she didn't want to join in the prank with him.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered. Although he wasn't trying to move, the drunkard found himself unable to stand still, and had to control himself before stumbling over.

"I said, 'no' Duncan."

Duncan frowned for a bit, then clenched his teeth.

Gwen's heart started to race. She could tell by his expression that he was pissed. Actually, he was angry. Very angry. Gwen started to back-up again - ready to run away incase he was to charge at her.

But, to her surprise, he just stood there. As the moments passed, Duncan's look of anger, turned to one that was more disappointed.

After a while, he finally spoke. "So you're just going to leave me then, huh? Just like my best friend? I thought you were cool chick, Gwen."

Gwen didn't know what to say. She went to open her mouth to speak, but when nothing came out, she closed it again. This, apparently, went a lot deeper then the goth had figured.

Duncan extended his arms out and started to smile stupidly. "I guess you just can't handle my sense of humor!" he laughed sarcastically. Then, he turned on his heel and started walking back to the wall. Although his friend was also drunk, he seemed to be getting worried at Duncan's actions. "Well you know what? Chicks are a dime a dozen! You think you're too good for me? HA! Other way around sweetheart!" he called over his shoulder. Picking-up a beer bottle, he began to chug the rest of it.

Gwen just stood there, frozen and hurt. But the second she felt a tear come to her eye, she spun on her heels and stormed for her car.

Duncan, hearing her footsteps, stopped and turned back to Gwen. He suddenly had an overwhelming sense of guilt well-up inside him. "Gwen! Gwen, wait!"

He sloppily charged back towards her and was able to grab hold of her wrist. "I'm sorry, I -"

He was interrupted by a cold hard slap to the face.

He stood there for a moment - completely still - as Gwen got into her car and drove away.

Duncan watched her car drive off into the night.

Then, in a fit of rage at himself, Duncan turned to face the church wall and chucked his glass bottle at the Satanic images.

Glass went flying everywhere - Alejandro was just able to shield himself from the bits of glass as some went flying in his direction. Duncan stared at the wall where the bottle had hit for a moment. Alejandro just sat there, looking at Duncan, then to the wall, then back to Duncan again.

As Duncan watched the beer drip down the wall over an upside-down cross, he realized how truly awful he felt. In one night, he'd lost his best friend, and a girl he never even went on a date with.

He figured that the latter wasn't much of a loss as he had never really truly gotten to know her. But Gwen was different - he saw something in her that he didn't see in other girls.

And now he fucked it up. Probably forever.

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><p>Gwen had put herself in another dangerous situation as she drove home.<p>

Her eyes were full of tears - blurring her vision, and she was letting her car speed threw the night - breaking a ton of laws, and endangering anyone else who was on the road at this ungodly hour. Even when she reached the turn for her street, she found herself driving past it, and kept her car flying in a straight line across the street.

She was hurt, embarrassed, and mad at herself for letting herself believe that Duncan might be a 'god guy' she had barely even known him and he already betrayed her. she took into account that he was drunk, and probably didn't have any control over what he had said. But Gwen was a firm believer in 'drunk words are sober thoughts' - what he said, he probably meant.

Instead of going to her house, she found she was driving to a friends. Not LeShawna's, not Eva's, but Bridgette's. She didn't know what was possessing her to drive to her fellow Wiccan's house, but something inside her told her to go there.

She peeled into the driveway, stumbled out of her car, slammed the door shut behind her and scampered to the front door. She then proceeded to bang on the firm wood until she saw lights come on.

Lucky for her, Bridgette answered the door.

Unlucky for her, she could see that her coven leader had been crying as well.

Then, in a totally spontaneous moment, Gwen asked "Geoff?"

To which Bridgette nodded sullenly and replied with "Duncan?"

Before Gwen could respond, the two of them heard another car screeching in the silence of the night. They turned to see that Heather's car had pulled into the drive-way, and she was now walking slowly up to the both of them. She was carrying a large duffle bag over one shoulder, and had her 'Book of Shadows' nestled into the opposite arm.

When she approached the two, she began to cry. "I-I have no where else to go."

Without another word, the three of them all embraced each other with a big hug.

Bridgette lead the two up to her room and the three of them spent the night talking about their issues and crying in each other's arms.

However, they fell asleep peacefully.

For, in the first time of their experience as Wiccan's, they finally truly felt like sisters.

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><p><strong>So?<br>****Was the ending a bit rushed? It felt a bit rushed but I just found that I had a hard time lengthening it... what did you think?****  
><strong>

**Let me know in a REVIEW! *Criticism is welcomed!**


	12. Chapter 12

**My Loyal Readers,**

**Over the past few months (... fine, years), you have read my stories, reviewed them, and (hopefully) enjoyed them. I return, I tried to write stories with strong content, and update on a timely basis. **

**Recently (... not so recently I guess), I haven't been providing you with the updates you deserve.**

**And I've been a terrible person. I teased you with upcoming chapters, I told you I wouldn't quit, and I even tried to reach out for help. But nothing is working.**

**Not that you haven't been putting in your end of the work, you tried to help me when I asked for it, but I couldn't bring myself to create content that wasn't mine, but someone else's. **

**That is why, with a heavy heart, I'm discontinuing the story.**

**I haven't been watching the show for around a year (I can't really remember), and because of that, I feel like I've lost connection with the characters, and, more importantly, my story. Also, I started this story the way no author should; without knowing where it was going. **

**So you will no longer be getting any updates from with story. If anyone out there wishes the continue my work on their own, feel free! I'd love to read it actually. I'd even be willing to offer guidance and advise if need be. But with work, school, and other old and new commitments, I simply can't find the time to get reconnected with the show to bring you worthy content.**

**In closing: I'm sorry, and I'll miss all you.**

**Goodbye my darlings,**

**- AbL**

**p.s: If you are one of those nazi's on this site then, yes. I am WELL AWARE that you can't make author notes as chapters. Report my account if your that malicious, I honestly don't mind. I won't be writing any more anyway, but I felt as though I owed the readers and explanation for the lack of content. In closing to you guys: I really do hope you find happiness one day. And I ask: who hurt you so much to want to be a wiener face on a site of artistic expression? lolzlolzlolz**


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